Great Indian Recipes

• Lightly crush cardamom pods, whole cloves, star anise and peppercorns, and place in a small pot with 1 cup of water. Add ginger and cinnamon. Muddle all ingredients. Add loose leaf black tea.
• Bring to a boil and take off the heat. Allow to steep for 1 hour.
• Strain and prepare to serve or refrigerate masala chai base for up to four days.
• Add milk to base and return to a simmer.
• Add sweetener.
• Serve hot.

• Boil potatoes until done (without making mushy). Crumble – do not mash them up. Set aside.

MAKE DOUGH

• Mix together flour, carom seeds, salt and oil in a mixing bowl.
  
• Rub the flour well for 2 to 3 mins in between the palms to incorporate the ghee.
• Take handful of flour and press down with your fingers. It must hold shape and not crumble.
• Add water little by little and mix the flour to form a stiff dough. It should be a stiff dough. Cover and rest for 25 to 30 mins.
  

MAKE FILLLING

• Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin seeds.
• When they begins to sizzle, add ginger & fry till aromatic – 30 to 60 seconds.
• Add green peas and saute for 2 mins.
• Add red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, & fennel powder. Saute for 30 seconds.
• Add potatoes and salt. Mix and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Taste filling and adjust seasoning. Set aside to cool.
  

FORM SAMOSAS

• Knead the dough gently to smoothen a bit. Make 5 portions and roll in to balls. Cover the dough.
• Grease the rolling area and then flatten a ball. Drizzle some oil.
• Begin to roll to oval shape of 8.5 inches long by 6.5 inches wide. It should be neither too thick or too thin.
  
• Cut it to two parts. The 2 parts make 2 samosas. If the edges are too thick, gently roll it to thin down.
  
• Take one part and apply water over the straight edge (towards the cut side). Join the edges to make a cone. Press down gently to seal the cone from inside as well.
  
• Fill the cone with potato masala and press down with your finger to push it inside the cone. Smear water generously on both the other edges.
  
• Bring the edges together and seal them by pinching off the edges together. If you prefer to make a standing samosa, make a pleat on one side. Bring back the pleat and seal it by pinching off the edges together.
  

FRY

• After you make 5 samosas, begin to heat the oil until medium hot.
• Oil must not be very hot. A piece of dough dropped in the oil should not sizzle or rise immediately. Instead you should see tiny bubbles in the oil & the dough should take a while to come up to the surface. dd as many samosas as you can to the oil and fry them on low undisturbed for 10 to 12 minutes.
  
• When the crust becomes firm, increase the heat to medium. Rotate to the other side and fry until crispy and golden.
• While the first batch of samosas fry, fill the remainder.
• Remove the golden fried ones on to a colander. Let the temperature of the oil come down slightly before you fry the next batch.

SERVE

• Serve samosa with mint chutney
  

• Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• Taste and adjust salt, sugar, and lemon.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Chutney will keep 4 days in the fridge.

• MAKE DOUGH
• In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. Once frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt, and egg until evenly combined.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, pour the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour, a half cup at a time, until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
• At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You’ll end up using between 2.5 to 3 cups flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky. Avoid adding excessive amounts of flour as you knead, as this can make the dough too dry and stiff.
• Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 1 hour). After it rises, gently flatten the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball.
• COOK
• Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface.
• Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well.
• SERVE
• Stack the cooked flat bread on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!

MAKE MARINADE

• In a small pan over medium-low heat, combine the paprika, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, until spices are fragrant.
• Add the spices to a blender or mini food processor, along with the ginger, garlic, Greek yogurt, lime zest and juice, oil and salt; process until smooth.
• Using a very sharp knife, make 2 or 3 slashes in each drumstick (be careful; they are slippery). Place the drumsticks in a large bowl and toss with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

COOK CHICKEN

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and set an oven-proof rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray or grease with vegetable oil.
• Arrange the chicken on the rack, leaving a bit of space between the pieces. Spoon any marinade left in the bowl evenly over the drumsticks. Roast for 45 minutes, turning once midway through, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (be sure to turn on your exhaust fan as the oven will get a little smoky). Turn on the broiler and broil the chicken about 6 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes, until lightly charred and crisp all over. Serve with mango chutney on the side.

• Heat the oil over medium-high in a medium stock pot. Saute the ginger, garlic and red chilies for a minute. Add the spices and saute for another minute. Add the diced mangoes, sugar, salt, and vinegar and stir to combine. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce to medium-low. Steady simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. If you prefer smaller chunks, use a potato masher to mash the mixture to the desired consistency.
• For storage, chutney will keep for a while because of the high acidity content. A conservative time frame would be up to 2 months in the fridge.

Make Marinade

• Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and cumin in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate (for at least 24 hours and up to two days).

Make Sauce

• In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds, and cook until the onions start to brown.
• Add the cinnamon stick, tomatoes, almonds,chiles and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, 30 -45 minutes.
• Using a food processor or blender, process sauce in batches until completely smooth. Strain through china cap to remove lumps. Return to heat and hold at low simmer until ready to serve.

Roast Chicken

• While the sauce is simmering, cover a half sheet pan with foil, put a rack on it, and arrange the chicken so air can circulated completely around each piece. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165*F.

ASSEMBLE

• When ready to serve, whisk in the cream, add the roast chicken, and simmer until warmed through and flavors have combined, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with Lemon Scented Jasmine Rice

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, ginger, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
• Add the rice and cook until it begins to color lightly, about 4 minutes. Stir in the water along with the lemon zest. and white pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Pull from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes undisturbed.
• Remove and discard bay leaf, lemon zest, and ginger. Fluff with a fork, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.